Top tips for keeping meat fresh

With the price of meat and poultry these days, you want to be certain nothing goes to waste.

• Store beef roasts and steaks in the freezer for up to a year, but beef cubes for no more than three months.
• Pork roasts can be frozen for up to eight months, but pork chops will last only up to four months. Cubes of pork will last just a few months in the freezer.
• Solid chunks of meat will keep longer in the freezer than cut-up pieces; take this into consideration before you freeze your meat.
• The wise use of leftovers will benefit your pocketbook. Freeze leftover cooked meats for up to three months to use in stews, hashes, quiches or stir-fries.
• You can freeze hot dogs for up to a month.

If you plan to use that store-bought beef on the day of purchase or the following day, leave it in its original wrapping and store in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

• You can keep roasts and other large cuts of beef in your refrigerator for up to five days after purchase if you remove the store packaging and rewrap loosely in plastic or foil so air can circulate.
• Do freeze freshly store-bought cuts of meat as soon as possible if you intend to freeze them. Don't store them in the refrigerator first.

• Store these items in your refrigerator for up to a week, wrapped in the packaging from the deli counter.
• Or place in plastic containers in the fridge. Don't freeze luncheon or deli meats such as salami or bologna.

• Try making hamburger patties on the lids from coffee cans and using those lids as burger separators.
• They'll come apart easier than burgers stored on waxed paper. Store your stack of burgers in a freezer bag.

• If you're planning to freeze a cut of meat, first unwrap it from its original packaging.
• If the meat was displayed on a foam base, throw that away.
• Neither the foam nor the plastic on the meat in the store is meant for long-term or low-temperature storage.
• Rewrap in a moisture-proof wrapping product, such as heavy-duty foil or freezer paper.
• This helps the meat retain its moisture.
• Wrap your meat tightly and make sure the entire item is sealed in. Use freezer tape if needed, to seal the wrap shut.

• First, remove the dogs from the store packaging, which is not meant to withstand long periods in the deep cold.
• Repackage by double-wrapping in a moisture-proof product, like heavy-duty foil or freezer paper.
• Wrap tightly, making sure the entire item is sealed in. Use freezer tape if needed, to seal the wrap shut.

When freezing pork roast for more than four or five months, double-wrap it.

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